Dai Yoshihara Formula Drift Retirement Tribute Video

‪@DaiYoshihara‬ is without a doubt one of the biggest names in professional drifting. Having been involved in the sport since its humble beginnings in North America, Dai has racked up a huge list of accomplishments throughout his career.

Although the sport of competitive drifting had started in Japan back in the late 1980's; Dai hadn't considered the possibility of making it a career until 2003 when Pacific Rim Motorsport offered him the chance to compete in the inaugural U.S. season of D1 Grand Prix. Shortly thereafter ‪@formuladrift‬, Inc. was co-founded and a complete 2004 season announced.

Dai earned multiple podium finishes and accolades that first season of FD, and through 2008. However, it wasn't until 2009 when he signed with ‪@falkentire‬ to drive the short lived Discount Tire Lexus IS350. After wrecking that car, Yoshihara finished off the 2009 season behind the wheel of the S13 Nissan 240SX he would later use to win the 2011 Formula Drift Championship and Triple Crown award.

With 18 seasons of Formula Drift under his belt, Dai announced his plan to retire from professional drifting competition just before the final round in 2021 at Irwindale Speedway where it all began. At the time, he was one of only four drivers to have been competing in FD since its start and was also Falken's most senior sponsored driver.

With the news of his retirement, Falken reached out to official FD photographer Larry Chen and his team to create a fitting tribute to Dai Yoshihara. With interviews from several key members within Falken, Formula D, and of course some great vintage footage, the video that Larry's team put together is nearly enough to bring a tear to one's eye.

As Jarod DeAnda said, this isn't goodbye. It's see you later. Falken wishes Dai nothing but the best in the next chapter of his career and is thankful for all the fond memories we've made together. We hope you enjoy the video, and with that, only one thing remains to be said. Thank you, Dai.